The Truth
by Kuramastrass
Summary: Bobby gets a chance to learn some of the truth. He gets to learn about his Uncle Press, about the Travelers, and about Halla. But he doesn't hear this from Press. No, he learns this from the one person he thought he would never listen to. Saint Dane.
1. Courtney's News

**Well, this is my first attempt at writing a Pendragon fanfiction. I'm thinking about a one-shot. But this isn't it. This will be ten chapters. And I'll post them whenever I can. (Though a few reviews first would be nice.)**

**I don't own Pendragon. D.J. MacHale does.**

**This takes place between The Quillan Games and The Pilgrims of Rayne.**

**Anyway, this is the first chapter... I hope it's okay. I really do. Any questions/comments are appriciated, as long as they're put nicely.**

**So, enjoy the first chapter of "The Truth".**

_Chapter One: Courtney's News_

It started with the flume ride to Third Earth. Or, in Bobby's mind, it started with Courtney. Courtney, the perfect athlete, the tomboy, the girl he had had a crush on since he was seven, who was now his acolyte. Unofficially his girlfriend... _the_ Courtney Chetwynde, practically an angel.

It didn't matter to Bobby where she delivered this news. She could have done it anywhere. She could have done it at any time.

She chose now. Probably a bad time, considering that he had just lost both a territory, Quillan, and his best friend, Mark Dimond.

As per usual after a flume trip, Bobby proceeded to change clothes. Second Earth and Third Earth clothes weren't that different, really, but one could never be too careful.

Courtney also started to change her clothes. As she slipped her shirt off over her head, though, she couldn't resist taking a peek at Bobby out of the corner of her eye. He was a faster changer than her; while she had just barely gotten her shirt off, he had already stripped to only his boxers and was pulling on jeans.

Bobby Pendragon, the boy she had had a crush since she was eight. She expected - no, _hoped_ - that there would be some sort of turn-on at the sight of him only in his boxers.

Nothing.

She sighed and hurried to finish changing. Then the two of them started walking around, looking for the Traveler from Third Earth, Patrick.

Suddenly, Courtney couldn't hold it in any longer. It had been weighing down on her ever since Mark disappeared, but it had gotten heavier since they had changed in the flume. Now she felt like she might burst.

"Bobby, I have something to tell you," she blurted without thinking.

Bobby could tell that it was something important. He stopped. "Yeah, Courtney?" he asked, sounding a little nervous.

She wasn't sure how to say this. She took a deep breath and decided to say whatever came to mind, hoping it would be enough.

"I'm sorry, Bobby, I really am, but since Mark's disappeared I've been really worried about him an-and..." She faltered but she forced herself to choke out the rest. "I think I love him."

He said nothing, not really sure how to take the news. Mark was his best friend...

But, luckily for them, Patrick drove by and broke the awkward tension.

"Pendragon!" he called out as he rolled down the window. "Everything's changed!" Then he saw Courtney. "A non-Traveler! You can't bring a non-Traveler-"

"Hey, easy, Patrick," Bobby interrupted, walking over to him. "It's okay." He put his hand on Patrick's shoulder, and he seemed to calm down. "She's here to help." Then he turned to Courtney. "Find out anything you can about Mark, and then have Patrick take you to First Earth."

This was why she hadn't wanted to tell him. He was mad, now; she knew it. "What about you?"

"I'm going to Ibara."

So, at least it wasn't _all_ about being mad at her. "Be careful, okay? I worry about you, too."

He turned and left, headed back to the flume.

"What's wrong with Pendragon?" Patrick asked Courtney as she got in the backseat of his car.

"I think I made him mad."

Patrick had nothing to say to that. Courtney had nothing else she wanted to add. Patrick looked to her, not quite sure what to do.

"We should probably go to the library, find out what changed," she offered.

The Traveler nodded and started driving toward the library.

Meanwhile, Bobby Pendragon had gotten back to the flume, and he called out the name of his destination.

"Eelong!"

- Kuramastrass -


	2. The Journal Part One: Spader

**I was planning on putting this up yesterday, but I just didn't have the time. Sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pendragon.**

**Well, I don't really have much to say about this chapter. But I just realized I don't really explain what happened on the Queen Mary. Oh well. That's not the important thing. But just as a recap: Courtney was trying to convince Mark that Andy Mitchell is actually Saint Dane, and since Andy Mitchell suddenly became a genius and Mark's other best friend, that wasn't really going over very well.**

**And since Courntey is technically a stowaway, she's locked up in a prison cell. Isn't that nice?**

**This chapter is mostly a journal... or, part of one. I really was not comfortable writing it, since I don't think I came close to what Bobby sounds like, but...**

**Okay, it's time for me to shut up. So, here's chapter two of "The Truth". Hope you like it, and review, please.**

_Chapter Two: The Journal Part One - Spader_

_Sorry I haven't written in so long, guys. But then again, since time between territories isn't relative, it might have been only hours for you since I last wrote. There wasn't much going on with me... and then a lot happened all at once._

_It's the beginning of the end. I think I may have said that before, but I've written so many journals that I can't remember everything I wrote. But if I have, it really __is__ the beginning of the end now._

_I don't know who's getting these journals anymore. Hopefully, you'll have found Mark by now, Courtney. I'll write it to both of you, because it feels weird __not_ _writing to Mark. And he'll read this some day. I hope._

_But Courtney, I just want to make sure you know that this isn't your fault, because it's not._

That was how far Courtney got in reading Bobby's latest journal when visitors arrived to see her. More accurately, Mark Dimond and Nevva Winter had shown up to see her.

She did her best to shove the new journal into the corner without smashing it too much. It was easily the longest journal Bobby had ever sent; it must have been about a thousand pages long.

"Mark!" the blonde girl cried when they walked in.

"He wanted to see you," Nevva said coolly. She walked out, to leave the two alone. "I'll come back to get you in a while, Mark," she said, more friendlily, over her shoulder.

"Andy Mitchell _can't_ be _Saint Dane_," Mark started, once Nevva was gone.

Was _that_ what he had come to her about? "C'mon, Mark, you _know_ how he works! This is _exactly _what he _does_! You never know who he really is until it's too _late_!"

"You're just saying that."

"I'm not!" Courtney insisted. Then she sighed. She held up the papers she had shoved in the corner. She hoped they weren't out of order. "Want to read the latest news in Halla?" she asked with half a smile.

Mark's eyes brightened. It was so long since he'd read one of Bobby's journals. He _was_ mad at Courtney, but he _had_ to know what was going on with his best friend. "Sure."

Courtney held the stack out to him.

He shook his head. "No, it was your turn to read."

So the two acolytes got comfy on the floor of the prison cell of the Queen Mary, and Courtney began reading from the beginning.

"Sorry I haven't written in so long, guys. But then again..."

- -

_I know you're going to blame yourself. But don't. It isn't your fault._

_It all started about two months ago – two months for me, anyway – when Courtney broke up with me. Well, I guess we technically were never going out, since all we did was kiss once. How lame is that? But being a Traveler that flumes around saving Halla all the time doesn't exactly give you time to have a social life._

_I told Courtney I was going to Ibara, and I left her with Patrick, to get any information she could. To be honest, I lied. I really just needed to clear my head._

_And since the flumes would put me on Ibara where I needed to be, when I needed to be there, I figured I had some time to do that._

_When I got to the flume, I called out the first territory I thought of. "Eelong!"_

_I didn't think it would take me anywhere, but I was proved wrong when the flume came to life. Once I settled in for the ride, I remembered that there were two flumes on every territory. We had forgotten that._

_When I got to Eelong, I looked at the clothes that had been left at the flume. There was one set of clothes for a klee, and a few sets for gars. I picked out the gar outfit that looked the most intact. As I changed, I looked around. The flume was in a small cave._

_I crawled out of the cave (it got smaller before it got bigger) and then saw that the cave was in the side of a mountain. All I could see beyond that was trees. I couldn't see Leeandra, or Black Water, or anything... other than rocks and trees._

_But I also didn't see any gar-quiqs. That was a good sign. That's always a good sign._

_The plan was to make my way through the forest until I could find someone that could help me. It took a long time. I won't bore you by describing the whole trip._

_But soon I was in Leeandra. From there, I could make my way to Black Water. I remembered the way._

_I wanted to see Spader and Gunny. I missed those guys. And I had no doubt that Spader could help me clear my head and get ready to start the fight against Saint Dane on Ibara._

_I remembered the way there, but the trip was a lot longer than I remembered. I __did__ make it there before nightfall, though._

_"Pendragon?" Gunny's voice sounded exactly the same as I remembered._

_I couldn't help but smile as I heard the next voice._

_"Hobey-ho! Pendragon!"_

_Spader._

_No offense, Mark, but if I had to name another Traveler as my best bud, I'd pick Spader._

_He came running over to me, Gunny walking up behind him. Both of them were smiling._

_"Hey, guys," I said._

"_How'd you get here?" Gunny wanted to know._

"_There's another flume out in the middle of nowhere." I shook my head. "It took forever to get out here."_

"_Shouldn't you be fighting that demon Saint Dane, mate?"_

_I told them that I needed a breather for a little bit. Again, the flumes would put me on Ibara where I needed to be, when I needed to be there. And I told them about everything that had happened since I left Eelong... up until I got to Third Earth. Up until Courtney dumping me for my best friend._

_It upset them to hear that we had lost Quillan, but they knew I had done my best._

"_You never were very good at Spinney-do" was all Spader had to say._

_We all laughed. I wondered if Gunny laughed because me and Spader did, or if Spader had told him about Cloral._

_Then they told me about what had happened on Eelong since I left. Eelong had come a long way - the gars and klees had come a long way. I felt good hearing them tell me about all the progress that had been made; they were obviously proud. They were teachers here on Eelong, after all._

_The weird part was that I couldn't stop staring at Spader. I would just start staring at him for no reason, and then I would catch myself and look away. But not long after, I would be staring at him again._

_It confused the hell out of me._

_At first I told myself that I had missed him. Spader was my best Traveler bud, after all, even though he can be hotheaded when it comes to Saint Dane. Not that I blame him. Saint Dane did kinda kill his father._

_And I __had__ missed him. But by the end of the night I realized it was something more than just that._

_I left that night, leaving them a note. I knew I couldn't tell them that I was leaving; they would want to come with me. I hadn't been to Ibara yet, and I didn't know which Traveler would be able to best help me. I explained that in my note, though I didn't say where I was going._

_And I didn't want to tell Spader goodbye. I didn't think I could. I was afraid of saying something I would regret._

_More than anything, I just wanted to get away from Eelong. From Spader. Though I didn't want to leave him stranded here – I didn't want to leave him __period__ – I didn't want to be near him for a while._

_I didn't want to face the fact that I might be gay._

- Kuramastrass -


	3. Press's Beginning

**So... this is going to be a little bit of a jump. I promise - really promise - that this chapter will make a little more sense later. And the next chapter is more of the journal. So be patient. 'Kay?**

**I don't own Pendragon. Or YuYu Hakusho. But that's besides the point.**

**Well, to explain a little more, this is about Press's first day as a Traveler. If you'll notice, it's quite a bit similar to Bobby's first day. That's because I'm not all that creative.**

**Oh, yeah. That's definitely Bobby's Uncle Press.**

**Oh, and Aeoryth... the last line has only _everything_ to do with the plot. Trust me. Ever hear of _foreshadowing_?**

**So... yeah. That's about it. Enjoy chapter three of "The Truth".**

_Chapter Three: Press's Beginning_

"Second Earth!" the woman, Terese, called out. She was taller than the average female, and slight, yet athletic. She was a cream-colored tan all year long. She wore her thick black hair down to her shoulders.

She entered the flume and settled in for the ride. _"I wish it didn't have to be today."_ She sighed. _"They're so young, especially Osa. I don't know if they're ready... but they have to be. And they'll learn,"_ she tried to console herself.

_"I wish you were still around, Richard..."_ she thought briefly, missing her fallen friend and comrade more than usual. Then she remembered all the others who had fallen._ "I wish I didn't have to teach them alone..."_

Her eyes drifted up to the images floating in the heavens of Halla. Most were peaceful, but a few were beginning to show signs of strife. Quillan, especially, was starting to look bad. _"That's where we'll first go," _she decided, more determined, although she hadn't been to that territory for a while. _"Quillan."_

The woman arrived at the subway station in the Bronx. First she looked around to see that no one was around; then she quickly discarded her First Earth clothes and pulled on the Second Earth ones she had left half an hour ago, by her clock. But she had no way of knowing long much time had passed here while she was on First Earth.

She hoped Stephen, her Second Earth acolyte, would get rid of these clothes before she got back with Press, but she doubted it. Stephen was getting tired of this life. _"He won't need to be an acolyte much longer, though."_

She made her way back to her home on Second Earth, fighting through rush hour traffic the whole way. She saw that Press and Sara had already returned from school when she walked in the door.

"Press, give it back!" Sara was running around the house after Press, who had, obviously, taken something of hers.

"Catch me first, Sara!" he yelled back to her, running upstairs.

"Press!" the girl shrieked again, starting to follow him.

"Press," Terese called.

"Mom!" Sara was the first to respond. She came running back down the stairs. "Press took my phone!"

"I know," she said, putting a hand on the girl's head as she came up to hug her. "Press," she called out, "give Sara her phone."

Press came down the stairs and appeared around the corner. "Yes, Mom," he said, handing the girl her phone.

Sara ran upstairs with her treasure. Press turned to follow her.

"Press, come with me."

He turned back to look at his mother. "Where are we going, Mom?" he asked, flipping his short grey ponytail over one shoulder.

"I'm taking you to meet someone."

"Who?"

"Her name is Rosalita. She's a nice girl. You'll like her."

The boy shrugged and started to walk out the door.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to your sister?" she asked.

"Sara? She'll just yell at me for taking her phone if I try to say anything to her."

She wanted to scream, _"You will never see her again, Press! This is your last chance to say goodbye!" _She knew better, though. He would have to find everything out in his own time. If she told him anything, then he wouldn't believe her. And in any case, finding things out firsthand is the way of the Travelers. That is how it has always been, and that is how it was meant to be.

_This is how it is meant to be._ Still Terese did not know the meaning of that phrase, but she believed in it as fully as Press believed in her.

"Fine, then," she said, trying not to sound as annoyed as she was. "Let's go."

She turned and left, Press following behind her. For the first time in fourteen years, Terese regretted adopting Sara. It had been her job to raise Press to fulfill his role as the Traveler from Second Earth once she was gone.

She thought that Press should have a sibling, like she had; having a sibling would complete his Second Earth upbringing. She had planned to get a male child, so he would have a sibling of the same sex, like she had.

But that changed when she saw Sara.

She was only months old, but it was love at first sight. She had raised both Press and Sara like they were her own.

But once she had become a part of this family, she had become an illusion, just like her and Press. Once they were gone, she would disappear, along with their house, their belongings, and all records of them.

_"I'm sorry I doomed you to this, Sara... I'm so sorry... If not for me, you might have lived a normal life... But I'll see you again... one day..." _She also did not know how that would be, but she believed it, like she fully believed in everything she had been taught.

"Mom?" Press asked, breaking through her thoughts. He sounded worried. "Aren't we going somewhere?"

"Oh, right." She tried to remain as calm as she had always been. She was a Traveler. She was the _only _Traveler. She needed to be in control.

She started the car and drove back to the Bronx. They had been driving for a while when she asked, "How much do you trust me, Press?" She glanced over to him and her eyes met his for only a second.

"Completely," he answered.

She nodded. She knew that, but she wanted to hear him say it.

They arrived at the Bronx.

"So, where does this Rosalita live?" Press asked as he got out of the car. "And why do I have to meet her?"

"Please, Press, not so many questions."

He instantly stopped asking. His mother sounded strained, and he had never heard her like that before.

They walked into the station. "Are we going to catch a train?" He knew that she had told him to stop asking questions, but surely she could answer _this_ one?

"No," she answered simply.

Oh.

They continued walking... and they arrived at an abandoned part of the station. He was silent for a few moments, and then he asked, "Then what are we doing down here?"

"Press, I asked you how much you trust me. You said you trusted me completely." She turned now to face him. "You need to do exactly what I tell you."

"O-okay," he stammered.

"Listen to me now. There's a door down there, with a drawing like a star." She pointed toward it, though they couldn't see it yet. "The door is the flume. Go inside, close the door, and shout 'First Earth'."

"Star. Door. Flume. First Earth," he repeated with a nod, trying to make some sense of what she was telling him.

"If I'm unable to make it... you'll have to find Rosalita yourself. And when you do, tell her that her Mama sent you."

"Rosalita." He was still nodding. "Her Mama."

"She should be waiting in front of the Manhattan Tower Hotel."

"Manhattan Hotel."

"Of course, nothing should go wrong, but just in case..."

"Star. Door. Flume. First Earth. Rosalita. Her Mama..." Press was muttering under his breath, hoping he wouldn't forget.

They continued walking toward the flume. But soon they could hear footsteps behind them. The woman stopped, and once Press realized that she had stopped, he stopped, too.

"Is this him, Teri?" the one behind them asked. They both turned, to see a man in a dark, Asian-like suit. He was incredibly tan. "Is he the new Traveler from Second Earth?"

- Kuramastrass -


	4. The Journal Part Two: Ibara

**Well, here is chapter four. Obviously, this is another installment of Bobby's latest journal.**

**I... don't... own... Pendragon.**

**Just a little bit of clarification: The first chapter took place directly after The Quillan Games. Then, we move onto The Pilgrims of Rayne, only Bobby takes a little detour. He goes to Eelong, instead of directly to Ibara. And now he's on Ibara. What a surprise.**

**And Mark and Courtney are on the Queen Mary, so we're well into the eighth Pendragon book by this point.**

**And... I didn't really go back and look anything up. I just made this all up according to what I remembered. So if there's anything that doesn't totally match the book... well, sorry. It's fanfiction, so don't get your panties in a bunch.**

**So, enjoy chapter four of "The Truth".**

_Chapter Four: The Journal Part Two - Ibara_

_The trip back to the flume was a lot faster since now I knew where I was going. And I was desperate to make ground. I didn't want to give Gunny and Spader any chance to catch up._

_I crawled into the flume-cave and saw a white rectangle on top of my Third Earth clothes. It looked like an envelope. It was (duh). I probably would have ignored it if something else hadn't caught my eye._

"_Pendragon" was scrawled across the front in neat, cursive-y handwriting._

_The writing looked vaguely familiar. When I opened the envelope, I realized why._

_That same hand had written "With my compliments – S.D."_

_Yeah, it was Saint Dane's handwriting._

_I don't really want to go into detail about what the letter said. But get this:_

_It was a love letter._

_I was in shock after reading it. I mean, this had to be a joke, or some kind of trick, right? There was no way that Saint Dane could love me._

_I read the letter a few more times. No matter how many times I read it, it still didn't make sense. The only thing that happened was the nauseous feeling in my stomach got worse._

"_Ibara!" I shouted into the flume._

_I brought the letter along with me. I don't know why I did. Maybe it was because I thought I would want to prove to myself later that it was real and not something I had made up._

_The first thing I found out about Ibara was that it was hot. It had to have been 120 degrees. The clothes were cool, though. They were made of some really light fabric. The clothes that were set out to wait for me were a lime green._

_The second thing I found out about Ibara was that the quigs here are bees. Seriously, quig-bees. I'm not kidding. They attacked me the moment I got out into the open._

_The flume was in a little cave, like the one on Eelong. I have to dive underwater to get out of this one, though. And then, when I surfaced, the quig-bees attacked._

_I got out of the water as fast as I could, and then I started running. I wasn't fast enough, though. They stung me. A lot._

_I started feeling heavy and slow. I saw someone off in the distance. I tried to scream to her, but no sound came. I fell, and I blacked out._

- -

"I don't think I can read any more, Mark…" Courtney mumbled, handing out the journal to him. "You finish."

"C-Courtney… you… r-really dumped B-Bobby?" he asked.

She nodded, noticing the stutter. He was nervous.

"For… m-me?"

She nodded again.

He didn't think this day would ever come. Mark had always thought that Bobby would end up with Courtney, even though he also had a crush on Loor... who was also a Traveler. But Courtney was from Second Earth. And, sure, Loor was a warrior, but Courtney was... well, Courtney.

He had had a crush on Courtney for as long as Bobby. Bobby just happened to make it clear first. And Mark had never thought that Courtney would even notice him. She _hadn't_ noticed he existed until recently. He had even taken the same ballroom dancing class as her to be near her, in hopes that she would notice him. It hadn't worked.

And now, she had dumped Bobby, for him, of all people.

"I love you, Mark," Courtney muttered in the silence.

"I love you, too, Courtney." He took a breath and continued reading from where she left off. "When I opened my eyes again..."

- -

_When I opened my eyes again, I saw that I was in a hut. A big hut. I was also in a lot of pain. But, hey, I had just blacked out after being attack by quig-bees. Of course I was in pain. And I felt nauseous._

_I couldn't really move, either. I felt almost paralyzed, and moving hurt a __lot__._

_"I didn't think you'd wake up this quickly!"_

_I turned my head (which hurt) toward the sound. It was the woman I saw earlier. She seemed pleased that I had recovered._

_"I actually didn't think you'd wake up at all..." she continued. "I'm amazed that didn't kill you. That much poison would kill a normal person."_

_So quig-bee stings were poisonous. That was good to know._

_"By the way, I'm Telleo."_

_"Pendragon," I rasped. I tried to clear my throat. That hurt, too. "How long... have I... been... out?"_

_"Three days."_

_Three days. Well, that was just great._

_"I'll go get you some water, Pendragon," she said, turning to leave. "You must be thirsty."_

_She left me alone in the hut. I closed my eyes, hoping to fall back asleep, but I knew I wasn't going to be getting any sleep when heard an oh-so-familiar voice._

_"Hello, Pendragon."_

_Saint Dane._

_- Kuramastrass -_


	5. Raban

**I don't really like the way this chapter ends... Oh well.**

**I don't own Pendragon.**

**This is another chapter with little Press... the last one? Or the second last one? Something like that.**

**So... enjoy the next chapter of "The Truth". Reviews are nice. Thanks.**

"Raban," Terese snarled.

"Oh, please, I go by _Saint_ Raban now," he said with a slight smile.

Press felt his mother give him a light shove. "Press, go! The flume!"

He took off running.

"Oh, so he _is_ the new Traveler!" Saint Raban sounded delighted. "Really, Teri, you should let me show him what he'll be up against..."

"I'll let him know what he's up against, Raban, _trust_ me!" she screamed at him. She was near losing it.

Press ran faster, not wanting to hear his mother like this.

"You killed them! All of them! What Press is up against is a murderer!"

Raban chuckled. "I suppose that's one way of putting it."

"_One_ way of putting it? What else do you suppose you are?"

"Terese, my dear," he said, using her full name for the first time rather than her nickname, "I am but the savior of Halla."

"Savior? You think that by killing all the Travelers, you are saving Halla?"

He chuckled again. "I didn't kill all of them. You are alive, are you not?"

"Why?" Terese shrieked at him. "Why did you do this, Raban? You were a Traveler!"

"That's right, Terese. I was. Until I realized the truth."

"Truth? What _truth_?" she spat.

"I know how much you believe in things being how they were meant to be," he said. "But, as I now realize, _this_ is how it was meant to be, Teri, dear. Halla has to be broken down so that I can rebuild it. And then there will be the Convergence. All the territories will become one, and I shall preside over them as a guide."

"No! The territories cannot be mixed; they must remain separate..."

"See, Terese, this is where you are wrong. All the Travelers have been wrong. The people of all the territories are corrupt, selfish... none of them can control their own destiny."

"And you think _you _can do better?"

He smiled again. "I _know_ I can." He paused for a moment. "You're worried that I'm going to kill you, like I did Richard and all the others... aren't you?"

Terese snarled when she heard him say Richard's name.

"There's no need to worry," he continued. "I'm not going to kill you, Teri. You're the only true Traveler left. You have to raise the new crop. Raise them well." The smile remained.

"Raban..." she began. He looked at her questioningly. "Why me? Why am _I_ the only one left?"

"And I suppose you wonder why I killed your dear Richard first."

She said nothing.

"I've wanted you, Terese, ever since I first laid eyes on you. You paid me no attention. I thought perhaps that it was because we are mere illusions. I thought perhaps that you realized this, and saw no point in relationships. That was how I consoled myself. Until you got together with Richard, that is. Then I realized that you paid me no attention because I was not of Earth."

Terese remained silent.

"Everywhere I looked, there was turmoil. People were corrupt, selfish, power-hungry, and greedy. They are all near-sighted. The people of the territories don't deserve to rule themselves. They don't know how. They don't know what's best for them."

"That's why the Travelers..."

"The Travelers don't know any better than the people of the territories, Terese!" he snapped. "They need a single guiding hand." He was smiling, calm again. "That would be me."

"But... Richard..."

"Richard was a Traveler. I knew all of you would be opposed to my ruling Halla. The Travelers were a threat I needed to take care of. Because Richard had you, I felt the most hatred toward him. He was the first one to go. And he never knew what hit him. It felt good, so good. I killed the rest of them, leaving you, and only you..."

"Why?" Terese choked.

"I knew you'd never have me, but someone had to raise the new crop of Travelers. It would be no fun if no one tried to oppose me."

"You're sick. _Sick!_ You're _sick_, Raban! You _killed_ your fellow Travelers..."

"Go, Terese," he said, ignoring her. "Go and teach them what it means to be a Traveler. I won't hurt you. Go and join... Press, was his name?"

She turned to go and started walking again. "One day you'll regret this, Raban. Maybe not today, maybe not soon, but one day... you _will_ regret turning against the Travelers."

Raban just laughed. Terese had used to like his laugh, before... She shivered thinking about it. Then she heard the caw of a crow and whipped around. Raban was gone, and where he had once been, there was a raven flying away.

- Kuramastrass -


	6. The Journal Part Three: Saint Dane

**I don't even remember where we left off.**

**I don't own YuYu Hakusho.**

**Wait... never mind. Forget I said that.**

**I don't own Pendragon.**

**Sorry, I'm tired. (I still don't own YYH, though.) And I'm grounded... that's why I didn't update sooner. Sorry, guys.**

**Well, anyhow, let's get this show on the road!**

**Enjoy chapter six of "The Truth". Thanks for reviewing, everyone!**

_Chapter Six: The Journal Part Three - Saint Dane_

_I opened my eyes to look at him. "I have a question," I muttered as coherently as I could._

_"Yes?"_

_"How can you wear that in this heat?" My voice was getting stronger as I used it more. "I mean, it's gotta be at least a hundred degrees, and you're wearing that black suit."_

_He chuckled. I always managed to amuse him somehow. "Does it matter?"_

_"It's called sarcasm. Idiot."_

_Saint Dane smiled slightly and walked toward me. "Did you get my letter?" he asked._

_"Yeah; what about it?"_

_"Didn't you read it, Pendragon?" He walked all the way over to me and ran the back of his hand down the side of my face. I didn't push it away, because I still couldn't move. And it was as cold as ice, which felt good in the heat. "I want you. I want you more than I want the territories, more than I want Halla."_

_His touch also got rid of the pain and the nausea. I had never realized that he had that power. I still couldn't move, though. He didn't want me healed that much._

_I didn't say anything right away. Had __Saint Dane__ just said that? That he __wanted__ me? I could try to pass the letter off as a trap, or even some kind of cruel joke, but when I heard him say it aloud, I couldn't ignore the fact that it might actually be true._

_It sounded so… sincere. Strange, considering that it was coming from Saint Dane, but true._

_I argued with him anyway. I didn't want to believe that. "You're lying."_

_He chuckled again. It always annoys me when I amuse him, and I was annoyed now._

_"Do you remember what I told you after the Grand X?"_

_"You told me the Travelers are illusions," I said._

_"Love is the root of every conflict," he corrected me with just a hint of annoyance._

_Oh, yeah. That._

_"I can't believe you didn't catch on to something so obvious."_

_"I __hate__ you, remember? You're my __enemy__."_

_"Oh, yes; I know, Pendragon. And to be honest, I hated you, as well. But…" He paused and turned to look at me. "Everything about you draws me to you."_

_"Oh, yeah, sure."_

_"Why don't we go somewhere more private?" he asked me now. Not that he really cared what I thought. "This really isn't the sort of place for a talk like this."_

_Before I could even say "I don't think you should move me; I'm injured", he had picked me up and he was carrying me away. He was strong. And fast. He walked right out of the hut, into a village, and then into a jungle. No one stopped us._

_We went deep into the trees. "Much better," he said, setting me down on the ground._

_"Yeah, a much better place to kill me."_

_"Pendragon, if I wanted to kill you, don't you think I would have done so by now?"_

_That was true._

_"How long I've waited for this… the two of us… alone…" He moved closer to me._

_"I could __never__ love you," I said. "And anyway, we're both guys. Did you ever think about that?"_

_Saint Dane chuckled again. "I could be anyone, Pendragon. I know you're quite taken with the Traveler from Zadaa, that Loor… Or I could be that Second Earth brat you're so fond of, Courtney."_

_Courtney. Hearing that name stung._

_"Don't you see, Pendragon?" He was practically on top of me, now, and I still couldn't move. But even if I had been able to push him away, I don't think I would have. "I am offering you a chance for peace between us…"_

- Kuramastrass -


	7. First Earth

**Sorry it took so long... Grounded and all this other stuff... Oi. I meant to update sooner, I really did.**

**Anyhow, I don't own Pendragon.**

**Um... yah. Here's another Press-based chapter... I think this is the last one...**

**Um, so yeah...**

**So, enjoy chapter seven of "The Truth". Here's "First Earth". Read and review, please. Thanks.**

_Chapter Seven: First Earth_

Once he got out of his mother's sight, Press was met with a bunch of huge dogs with terrifying yellow eyes. She hadn't warned him about this. They chased him, attacked him. One dug its claw into his left shoulder.

He screamed in pain, but he kept running. "Star. Door. Flume! First... Earth!" he chanted in time to his footsteps. He started trying to dodge the dogs coming after him; their claws had hurt a lot, and he wasn't looking forward to feeling them again.

Finally, he saw the door his mother had spoken of. He quickly opened it, launched himself inside, and slammed the door shut behind him.

He looked around. It was dark. He didn't see how saying anything would do anything... but he trusted his mother. And he needed to do exactly what she had told him, though he wondered exactly what _First Earth_ was. It had to be some kind of code... but what did it mean?

"First Earth!" he called out into the darkness.

The flume opened. He tried to back away from the bright light and music that had suddenly appeared from nowhere. But a force started pulling him toward it. He struggled, but it was no use. It sucked him in.

And soon he was deposited on First Earth, completely terrified. He turned around to stare at the wall that had just deposited him. "First Earth!" he screamed at it. Nothing happened. "First Earth! Home! Anywhere!"

The flume stayed silent.

He sat down, trying not to have a breakdown. He had no idea where he was. It looked like where he had just come from, but it was... different. Would he ever be able to go home? After a few minutes, his head started to clear. He had to do what his mother told him. He had to find this Rosalita. She was waiting in front of the Manhattan Tower Hotel. He got up.

Seconds later, he heard the music again. He turned. "Mom!" he cried as his mother appeared.

"Get changed, Press." She seemed unfazed by the strange lights and music. "You can't wear those clothes here."

"Why? Where are we?" he screamed.

"First Earth." She stepped away from the wall as she said it.

"And where's First Earth?"

"Earth," she answered with a slight smile. She started to change. Press eventually followed suit. "Even your boxers." Terese had been watching him out of the corner of her eye. "You can't bring anything from Second Earth."

"Is that where we were? Second Earth?" he asked as he took off his boxers.

"Mmm-hmm."

Press looked himself over quickly when he finished changing. It felt strange. The clothes were just... weird. They fit him perfectly, and they looked like clothes... but from out of a black-and-white movie.

"Coming?" his mother called to him. She was up ahead of him, waiting for him.

"Yeah."

As they walked out, Press looked around at the scenery. "Hey, I recognize some of these places!" he said. "But they look... newer."

Terese smiled. He was being observant. Good.

They finally arrived at the Manhattan Tower Hotel. There was a girl waiting on a bench on the sidewalk in front of it, alone.

"Mama!" she cried (pronouncing it "Ma-_mah_") when she saw them, standing up. She was about half a head shorter than Press, and very tan. Her long black hair was tied back. With her dark green eyes, she looked at Press, regarding him carefully. "Is this the boy Press you told me about?"

"This is him," she said with a nod.

Rosalita held out her hand to him. "Rosalita."

Press took it and shook it. "Press Tilton." He turned to his mother. "Now will you-"

She smiled and shook her head. "There's one more person we have to get."

Press groaned. Rosalita looked at him questioningly. They both followed Terese back to the flume.

"Third Earth!"

Press wasn't as shocked, since he had seen this once already. Rosalita, however, was terrified.

And with that, the three of them were whisked away to Third Earth.

- Kuramastrass -


	8. The Journal Part Four: Saint Dane Cont'd

**I don't even remember writing this, to be completely honest with you... Holy crap, it's been so long since I wrote it. So, sorry, guys. No warnings or anything, 'cause I don't know what's here. Also, forgive any errors or just plain suckiness. Like I said, I don't even remember writing this...**

**I don't own Pendragon. And I don't wish I did, to be honest, 'cause even more people would hate it. But The Soliders of Halla is coming out next month! Yay!!**

**So, um, yeah. Happy reading? I hope you semi-enjoy the latest chapter of "The Truth"... sorry it took so long... read and review, please, but if you don't as punishment to me, that's okay, too... Chapter nine will be up soon, I mean it this time...**

_And then he kissed me. Saint Dane __kissed__ me._

_Like the rest of him, his lips were cold. They felt good in the heat. And his kiss was nothing like Courtney's, or the kiss I almost gave Loor. But, I have to admit... strangely, I __enjoyed__ it. It was the longest two minutes I had ever spent... if they measured time on Ibara in minutes, anyway._

_When he pulled away, I felt almost… empty._

_I wanted... more._

_"Will you join me, Pendragon?" he asked me for what had to have been the millionth time._

_"Why __should__ I?" I answered. "I mean, I can see __some__ benefits…" Wait, was I actually considering __joining__ my enemy? Saint Dane? The guy who killed my Uncle Press and thousands of other people? "But why do you do this? Why are you against the Travelers?"_

_"That is a fair question, Pendragon," he said. He got up and sat across from me. "Very well. I shall tell you."_

_It turns out Saint Dane used to be a Traveler. Can you believe that? And even more unbelievable: he used to be my Uncle Press's best friend. Before he went over to the dark side and all that._

_The next few pages are what he told me, with all the details and everything. I don't know if you guys want to read it. I had been wondering about it for a while, but I don't know if you guys have._

_Like, why would you guys care about Saint Dane, right?_

- -

Mark looked up over the pages at Courtney. "Do you want to read it?" He was interested in Saint Dane's motives for being evil, but he didn't want to read it if Courtney wasn't ready to hear it. She wasn't taking _any_ of the news well. He didn't blame her.

"Later," she muttered from her place on the floor. "Skip to the end of it."

Mark skimmed through the next few pages to find the end of it, muttering every tenth word or so as he did. "Here..." He began reading the journal again. "So, anyway..."

- -

_So, anyway... by the time he finished, it was dark. Not totally dark, but getting dark. Like, right after sunset in the summer, when it's not __really__ dark but you say it's dark._

_I was able to move now. I had become un-paralyzed a while back. Maybe the quig-bees had done something to my brain, but I didn't run. I didn't even __try__ to leave. I stayed._

_And now that he told me, it kinda made sense. I could see where he was coming from, kinda, anyway._

_Ibara is kinda like a resort-territory. It's this peaceful little island. The people here live in harmony. It's almost like Third Earth, gone __Castaway__. There was this Traveler from Ibara, this guy called Raban. He came from this paradise, and he saw all the bad things in the other territories. It made him crazy. He came up with this idea to take over Halla and make all the territories one._

_Sounds familiar, doesn't it?_

_He killed all the other Travelers except one, because he knew they wouldn't like the idea of the territories merging, and he started calling himself "Saint Raban" because he thought he was the savior of Halla, or something like that. Anyway, this last Traveler that he didn't kill was the one from Second Earth. She raised my Uncle Press and taught him about being a Traveler. She also taught the Traveler from First Earth, this girl named Rosalita, and the Traveler from Third Earth, Dane._

- Kuramastrass -


	9. The Journal Part Five: The Decision

**Hey, all. I'm here for chapter nine. This one's another brief overview of Dane/Raban/Press's Traveler life. I know it's interesting and people wanna hear more details, but let's face it. I'm just too lazy.**

**The good news is that I've decided to write a prequel. Eventually. Two of them, probably. One about the adventures of Press and Dane and one about the adventures of Raban and Terese.**

**I don't own Pendragon. But I've bought three of the books. And the Merchant of Death graphic novel.**

**So. Yeah.**

**Enjoy chapter nine of "The Truth"! Read and review, please! Thanks!**

"Dane?" Courtney asked, her eyes wide. "Do you think-"

"Saint Dane? It has to be."

- -

_Yeah. At one time, Saint Dane had been the Traveler from Third Earth._

_I've told you guys about Third Earth. Courtney, you've __seen__ it. It's a paradise, too. And the first territory the three of them went to was Quillan. They tried to stop the spread of Blok. They didn't think it would be good for one company to have a monopoly like that. And they were right. I told you how __that__ turned out. However, Raban had already killed the new Traveler from Quillan, so they had no way of knowing how to reach the people of the territory._

_Saint Dane's first territory was a loss. A huge one. So I guess he really meant it when he told me he'd had nothing to do with Blok taking over._

_This made my Uncle Press and Rosalita want to fight Raban even more. They were especially mad when he killed the woman who had raised them, that last Traveler that he hadn't killed._

_I guess Raban figured he was gonna die soon, so he started trying to find someone else to take over Halla when he did. He picked Saint Dane. Saint Dane had come from paradise, too. All he'd seen when he'd gone around to the other territories were all those bad things that don't exist on Earth in the year 5010. He convinced him that the Travelers were wrong. So he and Raban were going to take over Halla._

_But then Uncle Press killed Raban._

_Saint Dane was there. I don't think my uncle knew that he'd gone to the dark side yet. But he swore to Raban that he'd destroy Halla; he'd tear it down and then rebuild it._

_Saint Dane always seemed like he was trying to prove something to someone above him. I think it's Raban. I think he's trying to prove that their dream can actually come true. Something like that.  
Anyway, after Raban got killed, Saint Dane went around trying to kill the other Travelers. But they remembered what Raban had done, so he wasn't able to kill all of them. He killed Rosalita and the Travelers from Denduron and Veelox. The Traveler from Quillan had already been killed by Raban. And you know the rest of the Travelers eventually died, too._

_My Uncle Press picked me to be the lead Traveler. He picked me to lead the fight against Saint Dane. I don't know why. Maybe it has something to do with being from Second Earth. That last Traveler was from Second Earth, and after that Uncle Press was the role model for most of the new Travelers. Maybe the Travelers that __hadn't__ been killed by Saint Dane voted, and I won. Whatever the reason, I somehow became the lead Traveler._

_Mark, Courtney, you guys know I didn't ask for this. I'd much rather be at home right now playing basketball in the gym, playing Guitar Hero, hanging out, or walking Marley. I was thrown into this. So were you guys. So were Loor, Alder, Spader, Gunny, Patrick, Aja, Kasha, Elli, and all the other acolytes._

_So were Nevva and Saint Dane._

_They aren't evil simply because being evil sounded like fun. You know Saint Dane always sounded like he didn't think what he's doing is wrong. He __doesn't__ think what he's doing is wrong. He's trying to make Halla a better place, just like the Travelers._

_Just because his version of a perfect Halla is different than the Traveler's version, does that make it wrong?_

_My Uncle Press lied to me. Well, actually, he didn't tell me everything. But isn't that the same as lying? And this whole time, Saint Dane has been telling me the truth... when I wanted to listen._

_I guess that's how he knew that one day the two of us would stand together._

_Mark, Courtney... I know you're not going to like hearing this, but... I've decided to join Saint Dane._

- -

Courtney started sobbing silently. Mark wasn't really far behind.

_- -_

_If you guys are going to hate me for that, I can't blame you, any more than I can blame Courtney for what she did. But even if you hate me, I hope you can at least understand. It's hard for me to hate him now that I know where he's coming from._

_And now the two of us - Saint Dane and I - can be together. I guess Courtney and I just weren't meant to be. I don't think out relationship would have lasted much longer, anyway. I'm a Traveler. For me, a relationship with a non-Traveler just can't survive._

_And, Courtney, like I said, this isn't because of you. I didn't get all depressed or decide to join Saint Dane to destroy Halla or become gay all because you dumped me. So don't go thinking it's your fault. It's not._

_I know you guys probably aren't happy with me right now, but all I can do is hope you don't hate me. I hope you guys will still be my friends and acolytes now that I'm technically your enemy._

- -

Bobby reluctantly finished his latest journal and sent it to his acolytes. He sighed as it disappeared.

Nevva Winter came up behind him from out of nowhere. Well, it seemed like out of nowhere to him. He had just forgotten that she was there. "Pendragon," she said. She sounded concerned.

"Mark and Courtney are going to hate me," he muttered.

"Do not worry about it, Pendragon. If they truly are your friends, then they will understand that they have chosen their path, and you have chosen yours." She sighed. "I know this is a hard path to take."

Bobby thought back to when he and Nevva had gone to see Mr. Pop. She had started crying. After he had learned that she had joined Saint Dane, he had wondered about that.

"Hey, Nevva."

"Yes, Pendragon?"

"When we went to see Mr. Pop... and you started crying... were those... real tears, or were they an act?"

She plastered a smile on her face, but her eyes showed her sadness. "That was my history, Pendragon, the history I never knew. It was a beautiful thing, and I realized that I was going to destroy it. I _had_ to destroy it, to bring about our dream of a unified Halla. It was a hard thing for me to do, Pendragon. Right then, I thought about turning against Saint Dane and re-joining you and the Travelers. I took a moment to myself to calm down, and I chose to stay with Saint Dane and destroy Mr. Pop." She took a breath.

He knew what she was talking about. It had been hard for him to choose Saint Dane over Mark and Courtney.

"Saint Dane has also made his share of hard choices. He told you that he was the Traveler from Third Earth. He came from utopia. He's working to make every territory like Third Earth. Unfortunately, Third Earth will grow much worse before anything gets better." Nevva sighed again and shook her head. "It's going to be hard for him to see that."

- Kuramastrass -


	10. The New Traveler Life

**I know this chapter is, like, uber-short... but that's okay. I'm writing a sequel, after all.**

**I don't own Pendragon. Noppey-doppey-dope.**

**Hmm... ahh...**

**Nothing to say really, other than I hope that you like it.**

**So enjoy the tenth and final chapter of "The Truth", "The New Traveler Life"! Reviews are much appreciated! Thanks!**

_I hope you guys will still be my friends and acolytes now that I'm technically your enemy. _Mark finished reading the journal and looked up over the pages at Courtney. He was angry and confused, and he felt betrayed. Alone.

Courtney felt much the same way, though she wasn't handling it as well as Mark. While Mark was sitting in silence, she was having a breakdown. She had stopped sobbing for the moment, but she was curled into sort of a ball on the floor, tears clinging to her bottom eyelids, and she was shaking. Her fists were clenched.

_"This is all... my... fault!"_

A little voice in the back of her head reminded her that Bobby had said explicitly that it _wasn't_ her fault.

_"Yes... it... is!"_ she argued. _"This might never have happened if I... if I..."_

Courtney lost it there. She began sobbing uncontrollably again.

"Courtney..."

Mark wasn't quite sure to do. He had no experience with girls. And he had always thought that Courtney was too tough to cry.

She looked up at the sound of her name, doing her best to control the sobbing.

It was an awkward situation that they were in. They were sitting in one of the jail cells on the Queen Mary. They had just read a journal from their best friend, the lead Traveler, telling them that he had joined their enemy. And the strong and incredibly tough Courtney Chetwynde was crying.

Mark went over to Courtney and pulled her into an awkward hug.

And she started crying even harder.

"It's going to be all right, Courtney," he said. He was upset, too, and he had no idea if that was true, but he had to be strong for her. No matter what Bobby said, she would still think that it was her fault.

"I... hate... it," she finally managed to get out between sobs. "It... makes... sense."

"What does?"

Courtney took a breath and tried to calm down. Tears kept falling, but at least she had stopped sobbing. "Saint Dane knows how to get to everyone," she muttered. "He got to Nevva. He got to me. He got to you. And now he's gotten to Bobby."

- -

"Ready, Pendragon?" Saint Dane asked.

"I guess," he answered, not really sure. He had started having second thoughts about this. He had just betrayed all of the Travelers.

But he had already made up his mind. There wasn't any turning back. He doubted the Travelers would want him back after this, anyway. He was the biggest traitor of all time. He was the Traveler equivalent of Benedict Arnold, only worse.

The demon chuckled. "Do not worry, Pendragon. It will be fine. You know what to do."

The ex-lead Traveler got down on the cot and nodded. "I know."

"Be careful, Pendragon," Telleo added, walking into the room. "The Tribunal usually doesn't trust outsiders."

"Telleo?" Bobby asked, confused.

Smiling, Telleo transformed into Nevva, and then winked at him. "I'll be here for you if you need me, Pendragon. After all, I'm on your side, too."

Bobby nodded. Nevva was so methodical, so orderly... she was a good person to have on his side. He laid back down on the cot and closed his eyes.

"Now sleep, Pendragon..." Saint Dane bent over and kissed him on the forhead. "I'll be seeing you soon. And pleasant dreams," he added just before he turned into smoke and drifted out of the cot.

Bobby closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep. And in the morning, he'd wake up... and the second chapter in his life as a Traveler would begin.

- Kuramastrass -


End file.
